In this week’s edition of cringy, oppressive legislation, Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced a bill which would require pregnant people to obtain written permission from the father of the fetus in order to receive an abortion.

The bill would also require pregnant people seeking abortions to submit their sexual partner’s name to their doctors in writing. The identified person could then challenge and demand a paternity test, which would delay the abortion procedure. The only exceptions to this law would be in the cases of incest or rape, threat to the pregnant person’s life, or should the father be deceased – in which case, the pregnant person would be required to sign a notarized affidavit confirming the death.

While this bill is certainly alarming, it is not uncommon for the state of Oklahoma which has become known for passing some of the strictest abortion regulations in the country. The author of the legislation, Rep. Justin Humphrey, explained to The Interceptthat his intentions were to let men have a say, because they have been excluded from these decisions. He also went on to explain that while he understands women mayfeel like their body is their own, they are in fact just “a host” to the fetus, and should have been responsible enough to take “precautions” if they weren’t ready to give their body up to incubating another human for nine months. See his outrageous thoughts below on people, I mean “hosts,” who do become pregnant and want an abortion:

“I understand that they feel like that is their body. I feel like it is a separate — what I call them is, is you’re a ‘host.’ And you know when you enter into a relationship you’re going to be that host and so, you know, if you pre-know that then take all precautions and don’t get pregnant.

So that’s where I’m at. I’m like, hey, your body is your body and be responsible with it. But after you’re irresponsible then don’t claim, well, I can just go and do this with another body, when you’re the host and you invited that in.” – Rep. Justin Humphrey

You can’t make this stuff up.

Aside from the bill (and its author’s intent) being eye-roll worthy, it is also unconstitutional, as ruled in Casey v. Planned Parenthood in 1992. Spousal consent, or in HB 1441’s case paternal consent, undermines pregnant people’s individual liberty and basic right to privacy as protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. By considering people hosts once they become pregnant, Rep. Humphrey and other people who think like him are stripping folks of their personal agency and, frankly, their humanity. This bill affirms that it takes more than one person for conception to work, while simultaneously blaming only one person for getting pregnant.

Women and everyone who gets pregnant (whether or not they “pre-know”) are people, not baby machines Rep. Humphrey.

Quita Tinsley is a fat, Black, queer femme that writes, organizes, and overall is working to build sustainable change in the South. She holds a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in Sociology from Georgia State University, and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from her alma mater. She is a member on the board of directors of Access Reproductive Care – Southeast, and is a former content creator for the The Body Is Not An Apology. As a femme, feminist, and queer Black woman, it is through her lived experiences and complex identities that Quita has come to believe in the power of storytelling and the validation of lived experiences.

Quita Tinsley is a fat, Black, queer femme that writes, organizes, and overall is working to build sustainable change in the South.

The ‘‘Protecting Our Communities from Gang Violence Act of 2018’’ Act, introduced in the House of Representatives last month by Republican Lee Zeldin of New York, would allow the U.S. government to revoke the citizenship status of naturalized immigrants who have been or are affiliated or associated with a criminal gang.

The bill stipulates that an immigrant’s citizenship status can be called into question by a determination “that an alien does not exhibit good moral character based on gang membership, association, affiliation, or provision of material support” within ten years of becoming naturalized. In a press release, Zeddin cited the “the rise of MS-13 and other gangs” as the impetus for proposing the bill and also stressed the need to “crack down on . ...

The Georgia state legislature is considering a bill that would allow adoption agencies to turn LGBTQ couples away. That’s how much they hate us: they’d rather leave kids in foster care then let them be in our loving homes.

SB-375, also known as the “Keep Faith in Adoption and Foster Care Act,” would allow child-placement agencies to refuse to work with potential parents if it violates their “sincerely held religious beliefs.” As opponents pointed out on the Senate floor last week, it’s obvious who the bill is targeting: if passed, taxpayer funded adoption agencies would be free to turn away qualified LGBTQ ...

The Georgia state legislature is considering a bill that would allow adoption agencies to turn LGBTQ couples away. That’s how much they hate us: they’d rather leave kids in foster ...

This week, the New York Times published an article hand-wringing over declining fertility rates in America, which it blames over in part on access to birth control. Here’s the problem: it included a parenthetical falsely suggesting that using emergency contraception, like Plan B, causes abortion. Spoiler alert — it doesn’t.

For years, conservatives have baselessly claimed that emergency contraception causes abortions, often to fuel attacks on contraceptive access. When Plan B and other emergency contraceptives were first approved for sale in 1999, scientists didn’t fully understand how it worked. Anti-choice activists exploited that uncertainty, saying that emergency contraception prevents fertilized eggs from implanting in a ...

This week, the New York Times published an article hand-wringing over declining fertility rates in America, which it blames over in part on access to birth control. Here’s the problem: it included ...

Search

We need your help!

Get Our Newsletter

New posts and Feministing news delivered to your inbox weekly!

Want to write for us?

All Feministing posts are written by the site’s collective of regular columnists and editors. Though we don’t currently accept guest submissions, we have an open platform Community site to which anyone can contribute. We often promote our favorite Community posts on the main site. And Community bloggers who consistently impress us may to be invited to become regular Feministing columnists..